The present invention relates to a cooling fan shroud for a vehicle, and more particularly to a cooling fan shroud having a double barrel fan protection portion.
Vehicles with liquid cooled engines generally mount the engine cooling heat exchanger (radiator) at the front of the engine compartment, just behind the bumper and grille, so as to take advantage of the ram air effect at higher vehicle speeds. At lower vehicle speeds, an engine cooling fan draws air through the radiator. The fan is generally mounted to a support shroud that both physically secures the fan to the radiator, and which also surrounds the fan to confine and direct the air efficiently through the radiator.
The fan shroud must withstand high downstream radiator air temperatures while providing a rigid support and protective structure for the rotating fan. Conventional fan shrouds are typically formed of a relatively expensive heavy plastic resin material or a relatively thinner metal. Although effective, either material results in a fan shroud that is relatively heavy and expensive to manufacture.
Accordingly, it is desirable to provide a lightweight, inexpensive fan shroud which rigidly mounts and protects the rotating engine fan.
The fan shroud according to the present invention provides a barrel portion which surrounds a cooling fan and a rectilinear shroud portion which at least partially surrounds a radiator. The barrel portion includes a first cylindrical portion located within a second cylindrical portion coaxial about a fan axis of rotation. A multiple of webs are located between the first and second cylindrical portions. The webs and the first and second cylindrical portions strengthen the barrel portion to an extent that a relatively lightweight inexpensive plastic material such as talc filled polypropylene may be used to form the fan shroud without reducing the strength thereof.
The webs also provide a multiple of mounting points which receive a bracket. As the webs are located about the entire circumference of the barrel potion, the bracket may be mounted in a multiple of positions. Additional security and organization is thereby provided for the numerous cables, conduits, hoses, sensors and the like which must be arranged within an engine compartment.
The present invention therefore provides a lightweight, inexpensive fan shroud which rigidly mounts and protects the rotating engine fan.